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Middle East’s MBC Strikes Wide-Ranging Deal With Turkey’s Medyapim & Ay Yapim; ‘Doctor Foster’ Remake Deal With The BBC

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Top Middle East broadcaster MBC Group has forged a partnership with U.S. anime and manga distributor Tokyopop under which they are forming a hub dedicated to the licensing, promotion, and production of anime content in the region. The joint venture, called MBC Anime, is led by Stu Levy, the American anime and manga expert who is founder and CEO of Tokyopop, a prominent international distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime and manga. Through the new initiative, MBC Anime “will commission, produce, and invest in a series of world-class quality anime titles,” according to an MBC statement.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dubai-based CEO Sam Barnett leads the Middle East’s largest broadcaster MBC as it turbocharges its Shahid streaming service through a scripted content drive, and gives Netflix a run for its money. Shortly before the holy month of Ramadan, which is marathon TV time in the Arab world, Barnett spoke to Variety about the still crucial relevance of Ramadan season in luring eyeballs, MBC’s need to offer “interesting new types of content” outside of the holy period, and why the company remains resolutely pan-Arab while riding the wave of Saudi’s production boom. There is a perception that MBC is becoming more “Saudi-centric” since it now plays an important role in Saudi’s drive to become a major content producer. Can you talk to me about how this shift is playing out in your overall production strategy?

Former Amazon Studios Canada originals boss Christina Wayne will be the new Managing Director of Saudi Arabia-based MBC Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Smith is leaving MBC Studios after four years as Managing Director.

Stephen Fry-Narrated Doc Set For Prime Video

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi-owned MBC Group, which is the top broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has forged a five-year partnership with Turkish TV production powerhouses Medyapim and Ay Yapim, officially ending a ban on Turkish soaps that had been put in place in 2018. MBC, which is the top satellite free-to-air player in the Middle East and North Africa, and also a major MENA region premium streamer, in 2018 had pulled highly popular Turkish dramas from its channels, allegedly for political reasons stemming from tensions at that time between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The move was also believed to have been made to give greater impetus to local production. Since then, several Turkish shows had gradually seeped back into MBC programming. But this deal signals a complete policy reversal.

announced in 2020, “Kandahar” follows Tom Harris (Butler), an undercover CIA operative stationed in hostile territory in Afghanistan. When his mission is exposed, he and his Afghan translator (Navid Negahban) must fight their way past foreign spies and enemy forces on their way to an extraction point in Kandahar.“Kandahar” sees Butler reteam with his “Angel Has Fallen” and “Greenland” director Ric Roman Waugh.

EXCLUSIVE: Open Road Films has acquired North American rights to Gerard Butler action thriller Kandahar in a splashy eight-figure deal (low teens, we understand).

Saudi Arabian media and entertainment giant MBC Group has officially launched its new headquarters in the capital of Riyadh.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentDubai-based broadcaster and streamer MBC is ramping up production with several new high-end shows.These include “Rise of The Witches,” being touted as the biggest-budget Saudi Arabian TV series to date, “The Devil’s Promise,” created by U.K. writer Tony Jordan, and crime thriller “1001 Nights.”MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett in an interview said MBC Studios now has 65 projects in various stages and reiterated the the Saudi-owned company is committed to serve as a driver to help kickstart the kingdom’s nascent industry.“Rise of The Witches” (first look image, above) is based on a Saudi novel described by Barnett as “a fantasy novel set 1,500 years ago in a time of witches” with a strong female empowerment theme.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentDubai-based MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett is navigating what he calls the “difficult transition” of going from being the MENA region’s top satellite free-to-air player to also being its top premium streamer.At the start of the holy month of Ramadan, which is marathon TV time in the region after iftar (breaking fast), Barnett spoke to Variety about how the Saudi-owned broadcaster is managing this feat. Edited excerpts.MBC is now operating in both the linear TV and the streaming space. How’s the streaming side going?We are celebrating this month because we just got data in that [MBC’s streaming service] Shahid VIP has become the market leader in streaming in MENA.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFurther expanding its global reach, MGM International Television Productions has signed a multi-year deal with MBC Group, a leading media company in West Asia and Northern Africa, to develop and co-produce premium original series.MBC Group will air these series exclusively on MBC’s Shahid VIP streaming service, with MGM handling co-production and distribution for the rest of the world. The two companies already have a well-established relationship and recently partnered on MGM’s anticipated shows “Last Light” and “Billy the Kid,” which will air on MBC.“MBC Group is uniquely positioned to tell stories that will combine regional focus with global interest,” said Sheikh Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, chairman of MBC Group.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe recently ended holy month of Ramadan, which is peak TV season for Arab audiences, has seen most streamers in the Middle East try to lure new subscribers with Ramadan releases, which have risen on OTT platforms with the notable exception of Netflix.Dubai-based media analyst Nader Soban — head of the Vynd data intelligence platform, which tracks content consumption — notes that the streaming giant didn’t release any programming during Ramadan,

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentIn a management shakeup at top Middle East broadcaster MBC Group, CEO Marc Antoine d’Halluin has stepped down.